Good Samaritans help child left in a car in Garberville

After a group of good Samaritans rescued a child who had been left in a hot car at Redway Beach, three people — including the child's mother — were taken into custody over the weekend, according to authorities.

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said an 18-month-old girl had been left in the car for at least an hour Saturday when deputies arrived at the beach at 12:34 p.m. and found a 25-year-old woman holding the hot-to-the-touch, distraught and crying child. He added that it was unclear how hot the car — a 2001 Silver Mitsubishi Galant — was when the girl was removed.

"A deputy on scene checked the temperature gauge of a patrol car parked in the shade and it read 85 degrees, so you can imagine how hot the car was that had been parked in the sun," Knight said.

The child's mother — 22-year-old Devon Elizabeth Davis of Shelter Cove — was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment after she came back to the car around 1:15 p.m. and Child Welfare Services took custody of the girl. Davis was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance after deputies found narcotics — three Hydrocodone pills and Alprazolam — in her possession without a prescription.

Deputies also arrested 29-year-old Fortuna resident Joshua Marvin Overholt on suspicion of being under the influence when he arrived with Davis.

Loleta resident Corynn Marie Kennedy, 18, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence and possession of illicit drugs after she was found passed out on the back seat of the car with her head on the child's seat when authorities arrived. Knight said Kennedy — who had to be physically shaken to be woken up — initially denied knowing there was a child in the car, but later told deputies she belonged to Davis who had left the girl in her care.

The good Samaritan — who was staying at the Benbow Campground on vacation — told deputies she came to the beach to play in the water with her friend and when she first came across the car, the door was open slightly with a pink blanket sticking out but she didn't think there was a child in the car, according to Knight. It wasn't until about an hour later when another passerby asked her if she had left a child in the car that she made the connection.

"Initially, she didn't know there was a child in the car, but when someone asked her if she had left a baby in the car she ran to get the child out," Knight said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Harvey said there are a number of dangers when a child is left in a car, including choking and heat stroke.

"Heat is a significant danger, even in moderate temperatures like we have here in Humboldt County," Harvey said. "A car can heat up to dangerous levels — even with the windows cracked — and there's always the chance of a child getting hold of something they can choke on when they're left unattended."

Harvey added that two other dangers could be child abductions, either by a parent or someone just walking up to the car.

"We recommend if a child is young and can't take care of themselves that parents leave them in the care of a responsible adult and allow plenty of ventilation," Harvey said. "This comes from Kaitlyn's Law — which prohibits anyone from leaving a child 6 years or younger in a vehicle without supervision from someone at least 12 years of age — that went into effect in 2002 after Kaitlyn Marie Russell died after being left in a vehicle in California for two hours."

Humboldt County Deputy Coroner Charles Van Buskirk said there haven't been any cases that he can remember of children being left in cars.

"I've been here for 20 years and I don't remember any deaths, and that would be something memorable," Van Buskirk said. "When a child does die, we do an autopsy to determine the cause of death, but just because a child is left in a car that doesn't mean that's the cause, and everything is determined on a case-by-case basis."

Van Buskirk added that babies can handle fevers and colds but a physician is the one who determines the cause because lethal temperatures are subject to interpretation.

Knight said there were no recent cases in Humboldt County that he could remember but there are some in surrounding counties where parents are facing homicide charges.

Kennedy, Davis and Overholt were booked into the Humboldt County jail, and bail was set at $25,000, $75,000 and $5,000, respectively.

The sheriff's office has asked anyone with information regarding this case to contact the office at 445-7251 or its crime tip line at 268-2539.